Paediatric cancer families benefit from Facebook conversations

When it comes to sharing experiences caring for a child with cancer, parents often turn to social media as a way to connect with support.

Those are the findings of new research published online ahead of print by the journal Cancer Nursing.

“Little research has systematically studied how people use social networking sites when confronting serious illness,” says the paper’s first author, Elizabeth Gage-Bouchard, PhD, Associate Member of Cancer Prevention and Control at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

The analysis of more than 15,000 Facebook posts found six primary categories of health communications on personal Facebook pages:

documenting the cancer journey

sharing emotional strain associated with caregiving

promoting awareness and advocacy about paediatric cancer

fundraising

mobilising support

expressing gratitude for support

“Clinicians can educate parents on how to evaluate information obtained through Facebook using evidence-based guidelines. The health care team can and should encourage patients and their caregivers to connect with support and celebrate accomplishments throughout their cancer trajectory and Facebook is one vehicle for sharing this information and support,” adds Dr. Gage-Bouchard.
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Source: Cancer Nursing